2018 Kia Stinger Sedan

Manufacturer Offer

* Disclaimer(s)

Requires credit approval by Kia Motors Finance (KMF). Truth in Lending Act Disclosure:
Down payment will vary with APR and credit. For example, 3.9% APR with $2,500 down payment provides for 66 monthly payments of $16.86 per $1000 financed for qualified buyers. 3.9% APR for a term of 24 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $43.38 per $1000 financed.
3.9% APR for a term of 36 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $29.48 per $1000 financed.
3.9% APR for a term of 39 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $27.34 per $1000 financed.
3.9% APR for a term of 42 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $25.51 per $1000 financed.
3.9% APR for a term of 48 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $22.53 per $1000 financed.
3.9% APR for a term of 60 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $18.37 per $1000 financed.
4.9% APR for a term of 72 months corresponds to a monthly cost of $16.06 per $1000 financed. The rates described are for estimation purposes only; you may not be able to finance at this rate.

Manufacturer Offer

$1,000 cash back on select 2018 Kia Stinger

* Disclaimer(s)

Bonus Cash from Kia Motors America, Inc (KMA). Must take delivery from a participating dealer and from retail stock from 2/1/2019 - 2/28/2019. Bonus Cash offer when you purchase or lease a new car only and is combined with Special Low APR and Special Lease offers. This incentive is for a limited time offer on eligible Kia vehicles. Not all incentive programs are compatible. See dealer for details.

*Termination fee for all states except CO, IN, IA, KS, ME, OK, SC, WI, WV & WY. WI termination fee: The amount of the base monthly lease payment or $400, whichever is less. CO, IA, KS, ME, OK, WV & WY termination fee: The amount of two times the base monthly lease payment or $400, whichever is less. IN & SC termination fee: The amount of three times the base monthly lease payment or $400, whichever is less. Not all incentive programs are compatible. Additional terms and conditions apply. All matters of program eligibility and qualification will be resolved by Kia Motors America, Inc. ("KMA") in its sole discretion, and KMA reserves the right to change product and program specifications at any time without incurring any obligations. Cannot exceed 10000 miles per year.

Reviews

Driving Impression

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The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is a fine engine that makes a decent 255 horsepower, but it can’t run with the turbo fours from BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Chevrolet.

The twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6 is another story, offering responsive and smooth thrust with a refined howl. It can accelerate from zero to sixty in 4.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 167 mph. On the street, in Sport mode, the 8-speed automatic transmission delivers shifts that are quick and smooth, although not as sharp as a good dual-clutch, or even the best automatics.

It’s no accident that this is the best handling Kia ever built, neutral and predictable. Kia hired the chief engineer from the BMW M series, who went straight to the Nurburgring for chassis development. He had a rigid body to work with, being 55 percent high-strength steel (Hyundai-Kia is also a steel company). The front MacPherson struts have an aluminum brace between them, while the rear subframe is stiffened around the five-link independent suspension.

The steering is direct, the cornering is stable, and the ride is smooth, even with the dampers in Sport mode. However the agility doesn’t match European standards.

In everyday driving with traffic, the Stinger mostly strikes us as easy: easy to drive, nice ride quality, easy to live with.

The GT features four-piston Brembo front brakes, adaptive dampers, and rack-mounted electric power steering with variable ratios. Kia boasts that the GT is at home on the track, but we found it to be hampered there. It’s a bit too heavy, the dampers aren’t firm enough, and the tires aren’t wide or grippy enough, causing the stability control to be intrusive. On the track there’s too much body roll at turn-in, making transitions awkward, and the transmission can get confused, even using the paddles.

The GT’s four-piston front rotors are a huge 13.8 inches and the two-piston rears are 13.4-inches, so they’ll never fade on the street. The 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires, 225/40s up front and 255/35s out back, shouldn’t give up there, either.

The rear-wheel-drive GT2 has a mechanical limited-slip rear differential, while all-wheel-drive versions get a torque vectoring system that brakes the inside wheels in a turn, to rotate the car. If we had driven the GT2 on the track, instead of the GT, our impressions might very well be different.

Walk Around

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The Stinger is far from retro, although Kia designers were inspired by fastbacks from the 1970s, for example, they say, the Maserati Ghibli. It’s quite bold, with a long chiseled hood, sloping hatchback profile, and athletic haunches with short overhangs front and rear.

But what’s really impressive are the functional aerodynamic bits: wheel curtains with working vents, gills behind the front wheels to reduce turbulence, a belly pan with rear diffuser to smooth airflow under the chassis, and a ducktail rear spoiler. It all works. The coefficient of drag is a slippery 0.30.

That’s a lot of design detail, especially for the price.

Interior Overview

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The Stinger’s cabin follows along the lines of two of Kia’s near-luxury models, the Cadenza and K900. The quality of the materials is high: standard leather, including a thick leather-wrapped steering wheel, and big gauges ringed in metal. There are soft-touch surfaces everywhere, although some lower-cost plastics survive.

The dashboard is black and wing-shaped, with contrasting metal trim. The infotainment system is like a tablet on the top of the dash, possibly copied from German cars, and below that screen there are three round climate control gauges. There’s also a color screen that speaks to the Stinger’s sporty mission, programmable to display performance data, such as G-forces and lap times.

The front seats are comfortable and supportive, with driver’s seat highly power adjustable including lumbar. The GT2 gets 16-way adjustment, plus heating and ventilation. And there’s enough legroom in the rear for a six-footer.

The hatchback fastback roofline reduces rear headroom, but affords considerably more cargo area than a sedan’s trunk, a vast 23.3 cubic feet. And with the rear seats folded down, the space increases to 40.9 cubic feet, as much as a small SUV.

Summary

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The Kia Stinger makes an impressive debut, with much to offer. The price for a full-tilt GT2 runs to 50 thou, but the base Stinger for $32k is equipped so well that it’s a terrific value. We can live with 255 horsepower in the four-cylinder, especially with the excellent 8-speed automatic and paddle shifters.

Sam Moses contributed, with staff reports.

Model Lineup

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Kia Stinger comes in five models. Stinger and Stinger Premium use the four cylinder engine, while GT models use the V6. All-wheel drive is available on all models for an extra $2200.